A one-person local newsletter of 15,000 subscribers, drafted with Claude

John Apolinar@itsjohnapolinar

I run the Scottsdale Scoop almost entirely on autopilot.

15,000 newsletter subscribers.
24,000 Instagram followers.
3 issues a week, every week.
I'm the only employee, and I still have a full time day job.

Here are the 6 systems that do it all.

1. Scoop Desk, my Claude powered writing assistant.

It knows the Scoop's voice cold. My notes steer every section, and it drafts in my style straight from my bullet points. I still write, approve and send every issue, but the blank page is gone. Three issues a week, Monday Wednesday Friday, without the Sunday night panic.

2. The events calendar.

I redesigned it this week. Organizers submit their own events through the site, and the calendar stays full on its own. Search, filters, clean cards. The city's nightlife, populated by the city itself.

3. The business directory.

Every local business gets its own page. Google does the rest. It's a slow compounding traffic machine, and it makes the Scoop the default answer for what's good in Scottsdale.

4. Ad sales.

This is the money system. Sponsors get a portal with their ads, mockups and engagement rates. Every campaign lives on an ad calendar, and Monday reports prove the value before anyone has to ask. Sponsors see the numbers, then they renew.

5. The mailer.

One click, 15,000 inboxes. The send system that takes the finished issue and puts it in front of the whole list.

6. Outbound HQ.

Every prospect, every touch, one board. New sponsor outreach runs through a single pipeline, so no lead goes cold and no follow up slips.

Six systems. One guy. A full time job on the side.

If you run a local newsletter, or want to, steal this stack. The rest of the slides are in the thread below.